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Shlosberg Y, Huang A, Tóth TN, Kaner RB. Roots Fuel Cell Produces and Stores Clean Energy. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2023; 9:5700-5708. [PMID: 37756260 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c01174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, extensive scientific efforts have been conducted to develop clean bioenergy technologies. A promising approach that has been under development for more than a hundred years is the microbial fuel cell (MFC) which utilizes exoelectrogenic bacteria as an electron source in a bioelectrochemical cell. The viability of bacteria in soil MFCs can be maintained by integrating plant roots, which release organic materials that feed the bacteria. In this work, we show that rather than organic compounds, roots also release redox species that can produce electricity in a biofuel cell. We first studied the reduction of the electron acceptor Cytochrome C by green onion roots. We integrate green onion roots into a biofuel cell to produce a continuous bias-free electric current for more than 24 h in the dark. This current is enhanced upon irradiation of the onion's leaves with light. We apply cyclic voltammetry and 2D-fluorescence measurements to show that NADH and NADPH act as major electron mediators between the roots and the anode, while their concentrations in the external root matrix are increased upon irradiation of the leaves. Finally, we show that roots can contribute to energy storage by charging a supercapacitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaniv Shlosberg
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
- Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Ailun Huang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Tünde N Tóth
- Biological Research Centre, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Temesvári krt. 62, Szeged, 6726, Hungary
| | - Richard B Kaner
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
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Shlosberg Y, Faynus MA, Huang A, Carlini AS, Clegg DO, Kaner RB. Mammalian Fuel Cells Produce Electric Current. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023. [PMID: 37450569 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c06019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The increasing concern about climate change has led scientists around the world to develop clean energy technologies that may replace the traditional use of fossil fuels. A promising approach is the utilization of unicellular organisms as electron donors in bio-fuel cells. To date, this method has been limited to microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, and microalgae. In this work, we show for the first time the concept of using mammalian cell cultures and organoids as electron donors in biofuel cells. We apply cyclic voltammetry to show that upon association of ARPE19 cells with the anode, they release reducing molecules to produce electricity. Furthermore, we apply 2D-fluorescence measurements and show that upon illumination, photosensitive stem cell-derived retinal organoids, which consist of rod photoreceptors and interneurons, secrete NADH and NADPH molecules that can donate electrons at the anode to produce photocurrent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaniv Shlosberg
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
- Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Mohamed A Faynus
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering, Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
- Program for Biomolecular Science and Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Ailun Huang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles 90095, California, United States
| | - Andrea S Carlini
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
- Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
- Program for Biomolecular Science and Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Dennis O Clegg
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering, Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
- Program for Biomolecular Science and Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Richard B Kaner
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles 90095, California, United States
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Photocurrent Production from Cherries in a Bio-Electrochemical Cell. ELECTROCHEM 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/electrochem4010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, clean energy technologies that meet ever-increasing energy demands without the risk of environmental contamination has been a major interest. One approach is the utilization of plant leaves, which release redox-active NADPH as a result of photosynthesis, to generate photocurrent. In this work, we show for the first time that photocurrent can be harvested directly from the fruit of a cherry tree when associated with a bio-electrochemical cell. Furthermore, we apply electrochemical and spectroscopic methods to show that NADH in the fruit plays a major role in electric current production.
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Shlosberg Y, Brekhman V, Lotan T, Sepunaru L. Direct Electricity Production from Nematostella and Arthemia's Eggs in a Bio-Electrochemical Cell. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:15001. [PMID: 36499326 PMCID: PMC9738779 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, extensive efforts have been made to develop clean energy technologies to replace fossil fuels to assist the struggle against climate change. One approach is to exploit the ability of bacteria and photosynthetic organisms to conduct external electron transport for electricity production in bio-electrochemical cells. In this work, we first show that the sea anemones Nematostella vectensis and eggs of Artemia (brine shrimp) secrete redox-active molecules that can reduce the electron acceptor Cytochrome C. We applied 2D fluorescence spectroscopy and identified NADH or NADPH as secreted species. Finally, we broaden the scope of living organisms that can be integrated with a bio-electrochemical cell to the sea anemones group, showing for the first time that Nematostella and eggs of Artemia can produce electrical current when integrated into a bio-electrochemical cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaniv Shlosberg
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Vera Brekhman
- Marine Biology Department, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Tamar Lotan
- Marine Biology Department, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Lior Sepunaru
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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Shlosberg Y, Schuster G, Adir N. Harnessing photosynthesis to produce electricity using cyanobacteria, green algae, seaweeds and plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:955843. [PMID: 35968083 PMCID: PMC9363842 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.955843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The conversion of solar energy into electrical current by photosynthetic organisms has the potential to produce clean energy. Life on earth depends on photosynthesis, the major mechanism for biological conversion of light energy into chemical energy. Indeed, billions of years of evolution and adaptation to extreme environmental habitats have resulted in highly efficient light-harvesting and photochemical systems in the photosynthetic organisms that can be found in almost every ecological habitat of our world. In harnessing photosynthesis to produce green energy, the native photosynthetic system is interfaced with electrodes and electron mediators to yield bio-photoelectrochemical cells (BPECs) that transform light energy into electrical power. BPECs utilizing plants, seaweeds, unicellular photosynthetic microorganisms, thylakoid membranes or purified complexes, have been studied in attempts to construct efficient and non-polluting BPECs to produce electricity or hydrogen for use as green energy. The high efficiency of photosynthetic light-harvesting and energy production in the mostly unpolluting processes that make use of water and CO2 and produce oxygen beckons us to develop this approach. On the other hand, the need to use physiological conditions, the sensitivity to photoinhibition as well as other abiotic stresses, and the requirement to extract electrons from the system are challenging. In this review, we describe the principles and methods of the different kinds of BPECs that use natural photosynthesis, with an emphasis on BPECs containing living oxygenic photosynthetic organisms. We start with a brief summary of BPECs that use purified photosynthetic complexes. This strategy has produced high-efficiency BPECs. However, the lifetimes of operation of these BPECs are limited, and the preparation is laborious and expensive. We then describe the use of thylakoid membranes in BPECs which requires less effort and usually produces high currents but still suffers from the lack of ability to self-repair damage caused by photoinhibition. This obstacle of the utilization of photosynthetic systems can be significantly reduced by using intact living organisms in the BPEC. We thus describe here progress in developing BPECs that make use of cyanobacteria, green algae, seaweeds and higher plants. Finally, we discuss the future challenges of producing high and longtime operating BPECs for practical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaniv Shlosberg
- Grand Technion Energy Program, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Gadi Schuster
- Grand Technion Energy Program, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Faculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Noam Adir
- Grand Technion Energy Program, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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Simeon IM, Herkendell K, Pant D, Freitag R. Electrochemical evaluation of different polymer binders for the production of carbon-modified stainless-steel electrodes for sustainable power generation using a soil microbial fuel cell. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL ADVANCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ceja.2022.100246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
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Markthaler S, Plankenbühler T, Miederer J, Kolb S, Herkendell K, Karl J. Combined Two-Model CFD Simulation of Trickle Bed Reactors with Head-Sump Extension: Case Study on Hydrodynamics and Biological Methanation. Ind Eng Chem Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c04262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Markthaler
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Chair of Energy Process Engineering, Fürther Straße 244f, 90429 Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Plankenbühler
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Chair of Energy Process Engineering, Fürther Straße 244f, 90429 Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Jonas Miederer
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Chair of Energy Process Engineering, Fürther Straße 244f, 90429 Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Kolb
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Chair of Energy Process Engineering, Fürther Straße 244f, 90429 Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Katharina Herkendell
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Chair of Energy Process Engineering, Fürther Straße 244f, 90429 Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Karl
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Chair of Energy Process Engineering, Fürther Straße 244f, 90429 Nürnberg, Germany
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Werner D, Alexander T, Winkler D, Apaydin DH, Loerting T, Portenkirchner E. Substrate Dependent Charge Transfer Kinetics at the Solid/Liquid Interface of Carbon‐Based Electrodes with Potential Application for Organic Na‐Ion Batteries. Isr J Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ijch.202100082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Werner
- Institute of Physical Chemistry University of Innsbruck 6020 Innsbruck Austria
| | - Thöny Alexander
- Institute of Physical Chemistry University of Innsbruck 6020 Innsbruck Austria
| | - Daniel Winkler
- Institute of Physical Chemistry University of Innsbruck 6020 Innsbruck Austria
| | | | - Thomas Loerting
- Institute of Physical Chemistry University of Innsbruck 6020 Innsbruck Austria
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